Abstract
Recently hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) has been applied effectively to improve clinical outcomes of retinal artery occlusive diseases (RAO), and a potential benefit for retinal vein occlusive diseases (RVO) has been reported. Cervico-thoracic sympathetic blocks (CTSB), such as thoracic epidural block (CEB) or stellate ganglion block (SGB) are also used as the effective therapy for these diseases. We assumed that those blocks which dilate peripheral vessels may potentially counteract the vasoconstrictive effect due to HBO and may improve the outcome.
In patients with RAO, HBO combined with CTSB improved visual acuity. In patients with RVO, HBO improved visual acuity. With the combination of CTSB, additional benefical effects were obtained in visual acuity and retinal edema.
